"Hey Spartan, just chill out and it will all be okay, you dont have to run, you can just relax!!!"
The other thing is that sometimes with this sort of horse, "just relax" isn't something they're capable of. Most humans can't will themselves to "just relax," and we know what we're aiming for and why it matters, right? The horse doesn't have "relaxed while working under saddle" as one of his life goals, so even though it's one of your goals for him, you have to lead him to it and show him that it's an option (and that it feels good).
So you ride your figures and your transitions and your exercises and movements, and you apply your aids and you get an answer, and so on and so forth. If you're trying to get a better trot out of a horse, do you ride around on the rail going, "TROT BETTER DAMNIT," or do you adjust what you're doing in a way that leads the horse to a better trot? Same deal here. You ride the horse in a way that gives him structure and clarity and incentive to be right. You shape his body in a way that feels good to him, and you shape his mind in a way that ditto, and from that, relaxation follows.
The other thing is that sometimes with this sort of horse, "just relax" isn't something they're capable of. Most humans can't will themselves to "just relax," and we know what we're aiming for and why it matters, right? The horse doesn't have "relaxed while working under saddle" as one of his life goals, so even though it's one of your goals for him, you have to lead him to it and show him that it's an option (and that it feels good).
So you ride your figures and your transitions and your exercises and movements, and you apply your aids and you get an answer, and so on and so forth. If you're trying to get a better trot out of a horse, do you ride around on the rail going, "TROT BETTER DAMNIT," or do you adjust what you're doing in a way that leads the horse to a better trot? Same deal here. You ride the horse in a way that gives him structure and clarity and incentive to be right. You shape his body in a way that feels good to him, and you shape his mind in a way that ditto, and from that, relaxation follows.
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